Recap: Kent State vs. South Alabama

Kent, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Jay Jones racked up 102 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 21 carries to lead the South Alabama Jaguars to a 23-13 win over the Kent State Golden Flashes in a non-conference matchup at Dix Stadium.

Brandon Bridge hit on 15-of-25 pass attempts for 161 yards and a score for the Jaguars (1-0), who managed to come out on top despite being forced to utilize the services of punter Brandon McKee on 10 occasions.

Colin Reardon led the Kent State (0-2) offense with 213 yards and two touchdowns on 17-of-40 passing. Nick Holley tallied 47 yards on 14 attempts, while Casey Pierce led all receivers with four catches for 80 yards.

The Jaguars' defense recorded the first points of the game, as Davin Hawkins wrapped up Reardon in the Golden Flashes' end zone near the midway point of the opening period. Although Reardon managed to get the ball out of his hands before going down, he was flagged for intentional grounding which gave USA a 2-0 lead. The safety was set up by McKee, who punted the ball out of bounds at the Golden Flashes' five-yard line after the visitors' previous possession stalled in KSU territory.

USA's offense then made it a two-possession game with 2:46 remaining in the first frame, as Bridge completed a one-yard touchdown pass to Shavarez Smith to conclude an 11-play, 54-yard scoring drive.

The Jaguars extended their lead with just over nine minutes remaining before halftime, as Jay Jones punched it in from a yard out on 1st-and-goal. The one- yard run for a score was set up by a 58-yard pass from Bridge to Marvin Shinn.

The Golden Flashes finally answered with 1:36 left in the second period, as Reardon connected with Holley for a six-yard touchdown pass. Holley's rush on the ensuing two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, which left KSU trailing 16-6 as the contest neared the intermission.

After a scoreless third quarter, Reardon completed a 44-yard touchdown pass to Pierce to begin the fourth frame. Anthony Melchiori came on to attempt the extra point and put his kick through the uprights to narrow the Jaguars' lead to 16-13.

USA went ahead by double-digits with just over a minute left to play, as Jones scored on a 23-yard rushing touchdown. Reardon was intercepted by Montell Garner on KSU's next possession, which allowed the Jaguars to run out the clock to notch their first victory of the season.

KSU was limited to just 2.3 yards per carry on 28 attempts. The Jaguars out- gained the Golden Flashes, 347-277, in total yards of offense.